Part 5 (2/2)

oLet me.o Amber reached for her wallet.

He waved her offer away. oItAEs my pleasure,o he said gruffly. And rose to leave. As she followed him out of the restaurant, Amber realized once again sheAEd forgotten to ask him for that night off. ****

Something I said?

Grayson focused his attention on the road in front of him instead of the beautiful woman at his side. The image of her sitting across from him, her crimson hair gilded by candlelight tortured him. The way she licked her lips when she was thinking drove him to distraction. Flames of her hungry kiss still licked at his insides.

What a fool I am. I thought the evening was going well. Despite his many attempts to understand female psychology, women remained a mystery to him. Roger was the expert. Roger knew all the right things to say. Women flocked to Roger like bees to honey while Grayson lagged behind with his leaden tongue and reticent ways.

What on earth went wrong this time? He hadnAEt meant to kiss her. But the sight of her porcelain face, wide gray eyes and waiting lips consumed him. She kissed him back with a hunger to match his own. No woman desired him like that.

Grayson glanced furtively in the rearview mirror to make sure her lipstick wasnAEt smeared across his mouth. No, there were no outward signs of their entanglement. He found himself wis.h.i.+ng for a souvenir of her.

She hadnAEt so much glanced in his direction since they left the restaurant. Did she regret kissing him? Had he completely misread the situation?

With that one item of business out of the way, heAEd intended to pick up where they left off, forget about business and enjoy each otherAEs company. His sensual plans for the rest of the evening evaporated with his shame. Now he was heading back toward the offices of Barlow & Charles. Definitely not where he wanted to spend the remainder of the warm Indian summer night. Wracking his brain, he still couldnAEt figure out what went wrong.

He needed advice, but who could he ask? Certainly not Roger. When he finished laughing at his expense, Roger would consider her dismissal of Grayson as an opportunity to move in himself.

But what if Roger didnAEt know it was Amber he was asking about?

Amber strode through the gla.s.s door he opened for her without a word. In silence they rode up to the third floor. He couldnAEt think of anything light to say as they walked down the hall. The door to the firm swung open with a click, admitting him to his prison.

oI have a few calls to make,o Grayson said quietly. Amber nodded.

He was half way down the hall when he heard her scream.

Grayson bolted back down the hallway, skidding to a halt when he found Amber seemingly unscathed staring in horror at the inside of the top desk drawer. Slowly, he came around the side of the desk and glanced carefully inside.

And found the mutilated body of a dead mouse.

Wounded, he reasoned, it had obviously crawled in there and died. The alley behind the building was full of stray cats. Cats the night guard was fond of feeding. Any one of the feline visitors could be responsible. Despite his rationalization, like Amber he was repulsed.

Instinctively, he reached for her, and surprisingly she came willingly into his arms. He leaned his head against the top of her crimson curls, breathing in the scent of perfume and shampoo. oIAEm sorry, Amber. IAEll get rid of it.o For a moment she burrowed deeper into his embrace, her head pillowed against his chest. Then she struggled, pulling away from him. He let her go.

oI wasnAEt expecting it, thatAEs all. I wouldn't want you to think IAEm one of those women who shrieks at the sight of a spider ... or a mouse.o Grayson tugged the corners of his mouth into a neutral expression. If he laughed, heAEd be a dead man. But screamed was exactly what sheAEd done. oI wouldnAEt think that,o he said softly.

AmberAEs eyes narrowed, suspicion crossed her face.

Oh no. Now what have I done? Grayson watched her face cloud with anger. Surely she doesnAEt think I left it there!

oIf this is your idea of a sick joke....o oJoke! Honestly, Amber, I have better things to do with my time.o oI certainly hope you do.o oLook,o he said, desperately trying to remain in control of the situation. oForget about the work. Let me drive you home.o oI can drive myself, thank you.o s.n.a.t.c.hing up her purse, Amber vanished through the office door.

Chapter SIX.

oWhat do you mean she was cool to you?o Roger steamed milk for cappuccino as he contemplated GraysonAEs plight. The idea of a woman responding with less than unbridled pa.s.sion was obviously a foreign concept to him. oDid she smack you across the face or something?

oNo, of course not!o Grayson s.n.a.t.c.hed the cup from RogerAEs grasp, ignoring the grin his brother didnAEt even go to the trouble of trying to hide. oWhy, do women make a habit of smacking you?o Roger shrugged. oItAEs happened, sure.o Grayson shook his head. Why had he ever thought Roger could help? He leaned against the spotless black counter top and smothered the urge to spill something on it just to make the place look lived in. He didnAEt need to walk down the hallway and peer into the bedroom to know that RogerAEs domain would be just as obsessively neat, with his black lacquered bed, paisley duvet and not even a dirty sock out of place. To Roger appearances meant everything.

As boys theyAEd fought over s.p.a.ce in their bedroom, down to the last inch, finally laying a strip of masking tape across the floor to mark their territory. And he wanted us to buy a condo together! Grayson shook his head incredulously. They would have been at each otherAEs throats!

oYou still havenAEt told me who this mystery woman is.o Roger added a froth of steam milk to the top of his own coffee and motioned for Grayson to join him in the living room.

oNo, and IAEm not going to.o Grayson sunk wearily down onto the overstuffed black couch and waited for the leather to warm up to skin temperature. RogerAEs living room furniture, like half of his wardrobe was black leather. Roger thought it made him look artsy. Grayson thought it made him seem like a teenager in the first throes of rebellion against the status quo.

Roger sprawled on the other half of the L-shaped couch. oWe wouldnAEt be speaking of the lovely Ms. Shaw, would we?o oNo.o He bit off the word, knowing his brother would see through his white lie as if it was written in neon letters above his head. But Roger took his denial in good grace. oSheAEs someone I met in court.o That, at least, was the truth.

oMy, havenAEt we been busy lately, big brother.o oThat, too.o They were silent a moment while Roger grinned like the Ches.h.i.+re Cat and Grayson struggled with his thoughts.

oObviously I said something I shouldnAEt have, I just canAEt figure out what it was.o oShe didnAEt tell you to get lost,o Roger offered helpfully. oWhat makes you think she was put off?o Grayson groaned. RogerAEs view of the world was painted in bold brush strokes. If a woman told him to drop dead, that meant no. Anything less could be considered a come on. How could he explain a woman with such baffling nuances as Amber Shaw? Without giving away that the woman in question was Amber Shaw. oOne minute she was all over me. The next she was barely speaking to me.o oBut she didnAEt tell you to drop dead or anything.o oNo!o oMaybe she was just having a bad day.o Grayson frowned. oThatAEs not much help.o oMaybe it was something you said.o oThanks a bunch, Roger.o Roger offered him another of his leering grins in reply.

oHave you finished entertaining yourself at my expense?o oNot nearly.o Grayson set down his coffee cup. oI should go. IAEve got to be in court tomorrow morning.o Roger stood, blocking his path to the door. oRelax, Gray. I was only kidding. And you still havenAEt told me what exactly you want to know.o He didnAEt even know what questions to ask. Grayson felt his face coloring with embarra.s.sment. Roger certainly didnAEt want to make this easy for him. oWhat do you say to a woman, when you want her to know youAEre attracted to her, that you want to get to know her better, buta.o oYouAEre not ready to hop into the sack with her yet,o Roger finished for him.

Grayson drew in a deep breath and prayed for patience. oSomething like that.o oTell her sheAEs the most beautiful woman youAEve ever met.o oNot really my style.o Roger shrugged, less inclined to be helpful now that his golden advice had been ignored.

oItAEs just not the kind of thing you can blurt out over coffee.o oCoffee!o Roger rolled his eyes. oTake her dancing, Gray.o Grayson rubbed a hand across tired eyes. oYou know d.a.m.ned well I canAEt dance.o oOh, right.o oItAEs not like I got a lot of practice, is it? As I recall, the girls were always more interested in dancing with you.o Roger crossed his arms in defiance of his accusation. oYou canAEt blame all your romantic failures on me. I mean look at you. You work too hard, you take too little time off, and even when youAEre not working youAEre so deadly serious. ItAEs a wonder women donAEt run screaming.o oYouAEre making me feel so much better,o Grayson said sarcastically.

His brother looked him up and down. oThatAEs exactly what I mean. YouAEre sitting there right now, glowering at me like the worldAEs about to end instead of discussing this exciting new woman youAEre seeing.o oMisfortune happens, Roger.o oThatAEs right. Relations.h.i.+ps break up, hearts get broken, businesses go bankrupt, people sue each other. But you spend so much time looking for trouble, you neglect to see the good around you, Gray. o oIAEm trying to keep DadAEs firm going so Mom can have a good retirement.o oSheAEs not going to starve because you take a day off.o oShe might the way BarlowAEs been acting.o oSo start your own firm.o Grayson found himself suddenly at the very end of his patience. oThatAEs enough, Roger. I came here for some advice, not a lecture. ItAEs fine for you to make grandiose suggestions, but youAEre not the one who has to carry them out.o He carried his empty cup to the kitchen and set it on top of the dishwasher. Why on earth was he wasting his time drinking coffee with Roger anyway? That extra jolt of caffeine would only ensure he stayed up all night, worrying about his court appointment and ruminating over what went wrong with Amber. The whole thing had been a bad idea. Why had he bothered?

oThanks for the coffee.o He tossed his suit jacket over his shoulder and glanced at his watch. oItAEs late, IAEd better get going.o oMeant to ask you,o Roger said as he walked toward the door. oCan I borrow your car Sat.u.r.day night?o Grayson regarded his brother from under dark brows. oWhatAEs wrong with yours?o oItAEs in the shop.o Obviously, he wasnAEt going to get away without one last annoyance. oI guess so.o oHow about your new sports jacket?o oDonAEt tell me your leather jacketAEs being repaired as well.o oAs a matter of fact, I took it to the cleaners to be mended.o oWild date, I take it?o oYou could say that,o Roger said obliquely. He slumped back down on the couch and swung his long legs up on the coffee table.

Shaking his head, Grayson turned the bra.s.s door handle. He glanced over his shoulder, throwing a dark look in RogerAEs direction. oGAEnight, Roger.o oGo to bed, Gray. If you wonAEt take some time off, at least get some sleep.o Grayson closed the door on the rest of RogerAEs lecture.

oWhy did I bother asking him?o he muttered to himself as he waited for the elevator. oWe never agree on anything. Especially women.o **** Roger watched the door swing quietly shut. For a moment he stared at it, as if he could launch his thoughts through it into GraysonAEs departing back. Finally, certain his brother wouldnAEt be returning, he got up and locked it. He leaned against the door, surveying the spot Grayson had been sitting. GraysonAEs thoughts proclaimed themselves as loudly as if theyAEd been written above his head in letters ten feet high.

A slow smile broke across RogerAEs face. Of one thing he was sure. Amber Shaw was the woman Grayson was seeing.

oBig brother, thou doth protest too much.o Not that the fledgling romance was going to last with Grayson being such a clod. He shook his head again. What a pity. As much as heAEd like a chance at winning her affection, she was obviously perfect for Grayson. It didnAEt take a genius to see why. A woman like Amber Shaw with a keen wit and a penetrating mind wouldnAEt be swayed by what she saw on the surface. GraysonAEs profession, his house wouldnAEt mean anything to her. SheAEd be far more interested in the Grayson inside, the man Grayson showed to no one, not even his twin.

What a shame the relations.h.i.+p was doomed to fail.

Then again, perhaps it didnAEt have to.

RogerAEs smile broadened. He ran a hand through his long, curly hair. He was long past due for a haircut. He snickered softly to himself.

oThe sacrifices I make for you, big brother.o ****

oHe called in sick!o oAccording to his secretary. I just called from the phone booth across the street.o The photographer waited patiently for Amber to pay her and send her home, or to book overtime at twice her usual rate.

Amber stamped one high heeled shoe against the soft earth and choked back the urge to scream. Her heel sunk into the gra.s.s up to the sole. Yanking her foot from the sod, she succeeded only in pulling up a hunk of turf, which didnAEt satisfy her urge for destruction at all. The logistics of this prank had been a nightmare from the moment sheAEd taken the case.

An hour ago, posing as a photocopy machine meter reader, sheAEd been admitted to the plant. Finding Apartment 4AEs office, she replaced the tie he kept hanging pre-tied on a hook in his closet with an identical one smeared with an extremely sticky clear substance. Together with the photographer and the videographer, sheAEd crouched below his office window waiting ... at a price tag of over two hundred dollars an hour.

Now sheAEd received word that Apartment 4 called in sick. Strangely, so had his boss. Which of course meant she was going to need another tie, another way of getting it into the office, and she must pay the tradeswomen for their time and send them home. JenniferAEs satisfaction would have to wait until early next week, setting her schedule back several more days.

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